War, a truce or lifting the siege: what will Israel choose?

The main idea established in the minds of Israelis last week was that a new war against the Gaza Strip will be of no use to Israel. The country’s military analysts have grasped this idea, which they seem to have concluded from a briefing given by the Israel Defence Forces. However, this has not stopped some politicians from threatening the Palestinians and the Hamas leadership in the besieged territory.

Fortunately, a politician like the head of the Jewish Home Party, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who wants a war on Gaza, does not decide on issues of war and peace. He does, though, aspire to take over the security portfolio in the next government. His fellow right-wing extremist, Avigdor Lieberman, also once advocated an invasion of Gaza, the overthrow of Hamas rule and the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, but he stopped calling for this two years ago when he became Defence Minister.

According to the Israeli media, in the political-security cabinet meeting, Lieberman backed communication about a truce between Israel and Hamas, brokered by Egypt and the UN. His subsequent statements that he was not in favour of such talks simply aren’t true, and reflect an attempt to evade responsibility as a minister and Knesset member. Nevertheless, Lieberman is trying to better........